With the emergence of COVID-19, there’s never been a more important time to keep your workspace clean and sanitized. In addition to disinfecting all of the hard surfaces in your office, it’s also necessary to purify the ambient air in the building. This blog is going to focus on why air purification is important and how your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit plays a key role in the air purification process.
Coronavirus and Commercial Air Purification Systems
Before discussing commercial air filtration and sanitization, it’s important to know what COVID-19 is. Coronavirus refers to a large group of viruses that often cause illnesses in animals and occasionally humans. Currently, there are six versions of the virus that are known to be capable of infecting humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV).
The most recent strain to cause an outbreak of infections is the 2019 novel coronavirus, better known as COVID-19. This virus is responsible for the pandemic we are currently fighting. This version of the virus is transmitted in multiple ways, including from person to person through close contact, touching contaminated surfaces, and through the air.
It’s because COVID-19 can linger in the air that sanitizing hard surfaces isn’t enough to create a safe work environment. The air also needs to be purified with a commercial air filtration system and ultraviolet (UV) light.
Is UV Light the COVID-19 Killer?
One way to keep the air in your building clean is through germicidal ultraviolet irradiation. For years, it has been known that a certain spectrum of UV light can be used as a disinfectant. Known as germicidal UV, or UV-C, this wavelength of light has been used as a means of killing germs and bacteria in hospital wards and operating theatres for decades.
Because of its germicidal effects, researchers decided to test out whether far-UVC light could be used as a disinfectant against COVID-19. According to a recent study from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, scientists discovered that “more than 99.9% of the exposed [coronavirus] had been killed by a very low exposure to far-UVC light.” This works because far-UVC light disrupts the virus’s ability to replicate.
Your Commercial HVAC and Its Role in Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality refers to the quality of air in and around your building in relation to one’s health and comfort. A lack of good indoor air quality can quickly make an otherwise healthy individual sick. Here is where your commercial HVAC comes into play.
Your HVAC is responsible for the cycling of air in and out of the building. It replaces the stale air from inside with fresh, filtered air from outside. With this system, your office environment is healthier and more comfortable. However, your commercial HVAC only has the ability to filter air—it can’t sanitize it, meaning COVID-19 is still an issue.
Clean Air With Commercial HVAC
The revelation of far UVC light’s ability to kill germs, bacteria, and coronavirus has opened up new possibilities for creating a safe work environment. By combining your HVAC with germicidal far UVC lamps, you can fight off the threat of COVID-19. All you have to do is call an HVAC technician to install far UVC lamps inside of your machine.
These lamps are mounted in your system with a powerful magnet, right next to the air conditioning coil. Once the far UVC lights are installed, sanitation can take place. As air makes its way through your system, it’s illuminated by the lamps, pathogens are killed, and the newly disinfected air flows into your office.
Let Us Help You Create a Safer Work Environment for Your Employees
A&G Services is a company that specializes in welding, manufacturing, plumbing, and HVAC solutions. Our mission is to provide our clients with industry-leading services that improve their business. If you are concerned about the threat of COVID-19 and are interested in air purification, contact us today. Our team has helped numerous clients equip their HVAC systems with germicidal far-UVC lamps.
